Display stand



1949- J. R. CARPENTER 2,185,244

DISPLAY STAND Filed Nov. 18, 1937 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 /l /0 ZZ I 30 LJ 25 Z6 L h/ Z INVENTOR. c/AMEs F GA FPf/YTEA ATTORNEYJ J 2, 1940. J CARPENTER 2,185,244

DISPLAY STAND Filed Nov. 18, 1937 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 AVAV INVENTOR. (/AMEJ fl. CA/PPf/YTZV? V ATTORNEYS.

Patented Jan. 2, 1940 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFIQ DISPLAY STAND Application November 18, 1937, Serial No. 175,324

4 Claims.

This invention relates to an improved seed package display stand or tray. It represents an improved design as compared with United States Patents Nos. 2,034,115 and 2,034,116.

An object of the invention is to provide a simple, inexpensive display stand of the character described which is of a strong and sturdy construction and which may be repeatedly used and which is adapted to also serve as a shipping container for the seed packages to be displayed therein.

The construction is such that the seed packages are displayed in a series of shelves arranged in an upwardly stepped succession from front to the rear of the tray with the packages tilting rearwardly from bottom to top so that the face of each package is conveniently displayed to View.

The construction. of this improved tray is such that though fabricated of metal it is of light weight and the shelf construction is such that dirt or other refuse material will not collect in the bottom of the shelves.

The tray is adapted for use throughout successive seasons and is intended to be returned at the close of the season for filling and re-use during the next succeeding season. A collapsible container or wrapper is provided for the tray and the tray is so constructed that this wrapper when folded may be disposed in its collapsed form in a space provided within the tray structure.

Other objects, advantages, and meritorious features of this invention will more fully appear from the following description, appended claims, and accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a front elevation of a display stand embodying my invention,

Fig. 2 is an end elevation of a stand illustrated in Fig. 1,

Fig. 3 is a cross sectional view taken on the line 3--3 of Fig. 1,

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary plan taken on the line 4-4 of Fig. 3,

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary sectional view taken on line 55 of Fig. 3, and

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary sectional view taken on line 6li of Fig. 3.

The tray comprises a frame having end walls 10, a rear wall l2, and a front wall I4. These front and end walls are welded together to form a rigid rectangular frame structure. The front wall is folded over along its upper margin as at it and the rear wall is folded over along its upper margin as at It. Note Figs. 3, 4, and 5. Legs are provided to support this tray in the proper position. These legs are indicated generally by the numeral 20. The legs may be provided with casters as shown. They are adapted to be detachably secured to the end walls of the frame as illustrated in the several figures of the drawings.

Each end wall of the frame is provided with two leg attaching elements 22. These are positioned as shown in Fig. 2. They may be strips of metal welded to the end walls. Each such strip may be provided with a keyhole slot 24 as shown in Figs. 3 and 5. Each leg may be provided with a bolt 26having a head receivable through the large end of the keyhole opening 24 and a shank slidable into the reduced end of such opening and a wing nut 28 operable to tighten the bolt so as to securely fasten the leg to the end 15 of the frame. Each end of the frame is shown as provided with a marginal flange 30. This stiffens and strengthens such end of the frame. Such flange is shown in Figs. 2, 4, 5, and 6. This flange is notched at top and bottom as at 32 (Fig. 4) in line with the strips 22 so that the legs seat in said notches in alignment with said strips.

The rear legs have a greater length than the front legs so that the tray is supported in the angular position illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2. A plurality of strips or partition members 34, three being here shown, is provided. These strips extend in parallel spaced apart relationship between the ends of the tray and are secured thereto. As shown in Fig. 4 such strips may be welded 30 at the ends as at 36 to the end walls of the tray. Each strip may be folded over upon itself at its upper margin as at 38 as shown in Figs. 3 and 4.

A sheet of material which is here shown as a sheet of expanded metal 4|) is bent to form a succession of shelves as shown particularly in Fig. 3. This sheet of metal is disposed within the frame so that such shelves extend in a stepped succession upwardly from front to rear of the frame. The sheet is secured along its rear mar- 40 gin as at 42 to the rear wall l2 of the frame and along its front margin as at 44 to the front wall M of the frame.

This sheet is so arranged within the frame that the bottom wall of each shelf rearwardly of the 45 front shelf comes in contact with one of the strips 34 as shown in Fig. 3 so that the strip forms a front wall for the shelf. This expanded metal sheet is shown as secured as by welding or the like to the strips 34 along its points of aligned 50 contact therewith as at 46 so that the shelves are supported by the strips 34.

The construction is such that each strip 34 as it forms a front wall for one shelf forms the upper portion of the rear wall of the shelf im- 55 mediately in front. In other words, the rear wall of each shelf is formed in part by the strip 34 and in part by the expanded metal sheet so that the bottom wall of each shelf and the bottom portion of the rear wall of each shelf is formed from the sheet of expanded metal. To further reinforce the construction there is a trough shaped strip of metal 50 which extends between the end walls iEi of the frame and is secured to such end walls as shown in Figs. 3 and 4. This trough shaped strip til extends parallel to one of the strips iii and underneath the sheet 46. One wall of the trough shaped portion overlaps a portion of the bottom Wall of one of the shelves and the other wall of the trough shaped portion overlaps the rear wall of one of the shelves as shown particularly in Fig. 3.

To separate the shelves into separate compartments a plurality of separator rods 52 are provided. These are shown particularly in Figs. 1, 3 and 4. The separator rods are arranged in parallel spaced apart relationship extending from front to rear of the frame. They extend through apertures formed in the strips t l as shown in Fig. 4 and the ends extend into apertures formed in the folded over portions 16 and E3 of the front and rear walls of the frame it and E?! as shown particularly in Fig. 3. In the figures the two end rods are shown as omitted but the apertures to receive the same are illustrated. Such end rods could be inserted. It is obvious that the shelves might be provided with such a number of separator rods as is desired depending upon the number of varieties of seed packages to be displayed. It is likewise obvious that a frame might be provided with any number of shelves desired. Furthermore, it is apparent that a plurality of such trays might be superimposed one above the other as shown in Patent No. 2,034,115 hereinabove referred to.

The sheet 4!) might be made of material other than expanded metal. An open work sheet wherein the open work was formed in any suitable manner might beem'ployed and where the word expanded is used to designate the foraminous or reticulated character of this open work such meaning is intended. The construction is particularly rigid and substantial in that the sheet 4!] is attached at front and rear to the front and rear walls of the frame and is attached to the lower margins of each of the strips 34 as illustrated.

This tray is adapted to be packaged within. a container such as a cardboard container as illustrated in Patent 2,034,116 hereinabove referred to. In such patent this container is shown as adapted when folded to be disposed within a space underneath the shelves between the end walls of the tray. In the present construction there is provided a pair of spring metal strips 56 shown as secured at the ends to the end walls 10 of the tray and crossing each other and spaced below the shelves. The spring metal strips are adapted to hold a folded container such as referred to above in a position underneath the shelves.

What is claimed is:

1. In a seed package display stand, a frame having end walls, a front wall and a rear wall, a plurality of strips extending between and secured at opposite ends to opposite end walls of the frame, said strips arranged in substantially parallel spaced apart relationship spaced between the front and rear walls of the frame and sloping rearwardly from bottom to top, a sheet of expanded metal bent to form a stepped succession of shelves, said stepped sheet of expanded metal disposed within the frame and secured to the front and rear walls thereof and secured to the lowermost margin of each of said plurality of strips, said strips constituting continuations upwardly of the riser portions of said shelves and said sheet of expanded metal so arranged within the frame that the bottom wall of each shelf is formed thereby and slopes downwardly from front to rear and the lower half of the rear wall of each shelf is formed thereby and slopes rearwardly from the bottom to top.

2. In a seed display stand, a frame having end walls, a front wall and a rear wall, a plurality of strips extending across the frame between the end walls and supported by the end walls, said strips being disposed in parallel spaced apart relationship between the front and rear walls of the frame, and an angular shaped shelf portion of open work material having the forward edge of its bottom secured to the lower edge of one of said strips and having the upper edge of its rear wall secured to the lower edge of the next rearwardly adjacent strip, each pair of strips having such an angular shelf portion hung therebetween.

3. In a display stand, a frame having end walls, a front wall and a rear wall, a plurality of partition strips extending across the frame between the end walls and supported thereby, said strips being disposed in parallel spaced apart relationship between the front and rear walls of the frame, a sheet of open work material bent into zigzag form and disposed within the frame between the end walls forming a plurality of shelves arranged in an upwardly stepped succession from front to rear of the frame with the rear wall of each shelf formed in said sheet forwardly of the rear shelf forming a downwardly forwardly sloping extension of one of the partition strips, said rear wall and partition strip jointly forming the full rear wall of said shelf.

4. In a display stand, a frame having end walls, a front wall and a rear wall, a plurality of partition strips extending across the frame between the end walls and supported thereby, said strips being disposed in parallel spaced apart relation ship between the front and rear walls of the frame, a sheet of open work material bent into zigzag form and disposed within the frame between the end walls forming a plurality of shelves arranged in an upwardly stepped succession from front to rear of the frame with the rear wall of each shelf formed in said sheet forwardly of the rear shelf forming a downwardly forwardly sloping extension of one of the partition strips. said rear wall and partition strip jointly forming the full rear wall of said shelf, the front and rear walls of the frame each having its upper margin folded inwardly upon itself within the interior of the frame and a plurality of separator rods extending across the frame from front to rear arranged in spaced apart substantially parallel relationship between the end walls of the frame, said rods extending through the edge of said strips and through the folded over upper margins only of the front and rear walls of the frame being held in position by the said front and rear walls.

JAMES R. CARPENTER. 

